Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder in a large bowl until well mixed.
In a separate large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar with a spatula or mixer until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and egg until just combined. Add the dry ingredients to the mix, ½ cup at a time until well mixed. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Cover the cookie dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20- 25 minutes.
When you are ready to prepare and bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Pull the cookie dough from the refrigerator and start forming the cookies by scooping about 2 ½ tablespoons of dough. (Or use a large cookie scoop) Roll with your hands to form a ball and place on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Next, flatten each cookie ball to form a disc, and place a halved caramel on the center of each cookie disc. Roll the discs back up into balls with your hands, sealing the caramel inside.
Roll the sealed cookie balls in the chopped pecans and place back onto the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are cooked through. Once the turtle cookies have finished cooking, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
The dough can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days.You can freeze the cookies to store for a later use, for up to 90 days. Allow to thaw fully at room temperature.Recipe yields 12 BIG cookies. You can also use a medium cookie scoop to make 24 regular sized cookies. You will need to cut the caramel pieces in half again if you opt for this!